Fjällräven Classic 2016

Here at Bold Tuesday, we like to practice what we preach. So this month, co-founder Kairi and her boyfriend Janno laced up their boots, strapped on their gear, and took on the ultimate celebration of hiking–the Fjällräven Classic.

Mountains were climbed, rivers were crossed, feet were soaked–overall the experience was quite the wilderness adventure. Lucky for us (and for you), Kairi and Janno were good enough to document their trek–watch their video and then read more about it below!

We asked Kairi some quick-fire statistical (and not-so-statistical) questions to get a better sense of the experience:

How long did it take you, from start to finish?

Five days. We didn't go into it with a competitive mindset–we really wanted to take our time to fully enjoy the journey without getting back to civilization too quickly. That's the nice thing about it–you can choose what type of experience you want to have. Of course, we lost time when we had to wait for our boots to dry, but overall our pace allowed us to capture some great content while really taking in the atmosphere.

How many participants were there?

2055, from 35 different countries.

What was the route?

From Nikkaluokta to Abisko.

Where the heck is that?

Northern Swedish Lapland, 200 km above the Arctic Circle.

Altitude?

Max 1140 m / Min 400 m.

Those packs look intense. How much did they weigh?

Janno’s pack was 11.5 kg and mine was 10 kg.

How many times did your feet get wet crossing that water?

Janno’s once, mine once. It sets you back, but there’s nothing you can do except wait for your boots to dry out over some heat and then carry on.

How many river crossings were there that threatened another foot-soaking?

Ha, about four.

Number of blisters?

Janno none, me 0,5 (the little guy appeared the day after we finished).

Accidents

Only one. I broke my spork in two, so we made a proficient (but quite unaesthetic) emergency splint for it out of some handy materials.

What was the mosquito situation? WAS there a mosquito situation?

There were surprisingly few–we only occasionally saw some on the first and last day.

Any reindeer sightings?

Once while driving to the start and once during the hike.

Was wind a factor?

Yes. A LOT. On two of the days, I’d even call it a windstorm.

How about rain?

Oh, yes! Of course, the only day completely without rain was the last (figures), but overall we weren’t really disturbed by the rain.

What was the biggest difficulty?

Having to get out of a warm sleeping bag, especially when you had to go to pee in the night (the worst).

What was the best part?

The mountains and the constantly changing scenery. Not to mention the abundance of streams, springs, and breathtakingly beautiful waterfalls. When you’re surrounded by that 24 hours a day, every now and then you think it can’t be real so you pinch yourself to know that you’re really there. Every time we ate, it felt like a "TV-dinner"–we were too preoccupied with what we were seeing to put too much attention to what we were eating. There are few feelings more wonderful than seeing a million dollar view the last thing before closing and first thing after opening your tent zipper.

Color us impressed. If this doesn't inspire you to be bold and GO (and perhaps take on the Fjällräven Classic 2017), we don't know what does.